Rodrick Meets World
by blackberrychick
Summary: It's his last semester of Senior year and now his parents want him to go to college; too bad he's failing English. His new tutor is a tough cookie, but her and Rodrick might grow a lot closer than expected. Rating might change in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Stupid Deals**

Rodrick Heffley jumped off his white, dirty van and slammed the door shut. He snatched his backpack through the door's open window and threw one strap on as he idly yet furiously walked towards the school entrance. He was pissed, no doubt about it.

"pft, stupid college," he mumbled to himself as he treaded up the high school's front stairs. He was still thinking about a conversation he had earlier that morning with his parents.

"_Rodrick, we need to talk," said Susan Heffley as he busted through the kitchen door. He woke up late, as usual. _

"_What about?," he replied, not really paying attention to her as he scoffed down a piece of toast and someone's neglected glass of orange juice._

"_Your father and I have been talking about you and your future," she said as she picked up Manny from his seat, "and we were wondering what your exact plans are after you graduate?"_

"_You guys know this," he snorted while still stuffing his face, "after I'm done with school, I'll just focus on my band. School has been holding me back; when I'm done with it, I can actually focus on important thin-"_

"_No, you see, that's the problem, Rodrick." interrupted his father, Frank. He'd been quietly reading the paper. "We've put up with this far too long." He stated sternly looking at his dark haired son._

"_Put up with what?" Rodrick complained, with his mouth full. "You guys told me I could practice in the garage and that it was cool fort m-," he continued but was quickly cut-off._

"_Honey, we know that your music is your passion," started Susan while bouncing Rodrick's youngest sibling on her hip, "but we're really worried about what will happen to you if you focus all your time and energy on your band."_

"_But mom, I-" Rodrick tried to interject, getting up from his chair in a jolt of disbelief, but he was interrupted again._

"_Listen Rodrick," started his father as he walked over to the sink, next to Susan and Manny, "your mother and I decided that in order for you to stay in your band, you have to at least go to a community college or something."_

"_WHAT?," Rodrick spat incredulously, eyes wide and mouth agape in disbelief._

"_We can't have you wasting all your youth following some rock star dream, that in all honesty probably won't ever hap-" said Frank before being elbowed by Susan._

"_Frank!" she gave him a disapproving look. "What your father means, Rodrick, is that it's ok to focus on something you love, but we also want to you continue your education just in case … well, so you have a back-up plan."_

_Rodrick was stunned. He looked to and fro each of his parents searching for some sign that this was all some sort of twisted joke. He was at lost for words and he couldn't really seem to get his mouth to close._

"_C-College?," he stammered, "Seriously?"_

"_That's right, son," said his dad wrapping his arm around his wife's waist. Both of them smiled at their stupefied eldest, hoping to get him to react._

"_But dad, school isn't my thing. Y-you know this!" Rodrick said a bit angrier now. _

"_Well, I guess you'll have to make it your 'thing' if you want to keep playing in your band," said Susan, with finality in her tone. _

_Rodrick was about to complain but decided to let it go. His parents seemed very serious; he knew that he couldn't change their mind, especially when they were both on the same team. "Fine." He spat, extremely annoyed. _

_He grabbed his backpack and was about to storm out the front door. He had his hand on the doorknob but his dad stopped him. "Oh, and Rodrick," shouted his dad from the kitchen, "the deal also means that if you fail this semester, you're out of the band." _

_Rodrick slammed the door behind him, cutting his mom off before she finished wishing him a 'good day'._

Rodrick made his way through the hallways and reached his first period class, since he carelessly missed homeroom period.

"Nice of you to join us, Mr. Heffly," said Mrs. Johnson as Rodrick walked through the door.

"You're very welcome," he answered back, bowing to his mid-aged English teacher. The whole class started to laugh and Rodrick felt his temper cool down.

"All right that's enough, class. Take a seat, Rodrick," ordered Mrs. Johnson and turned back to the board. A smirk spread across his face as he walked to the back of the room where his delinquent-like friends were. He loved being the class clown.

The class went by pretty quickly, considering how much he hated English. He spent most of the period goofing off with his band mates and doodling the logo of his band, a devilish diaper pin, on his forearm with a sharpie. He was still very mad at his parents for their, as he thought, ridiculous deal. But he decided that if he could just finish this last semester of high school, he would just take some easy and crappy courses at the nearby community college. That way, he'd get his parents off his back and he'd have more time to focus on his music. An amused smile tugged his lips as he thought about how all these minor setbacks won't matter in the long run and that, in the end, he'd still become a huge rock star.

"I take you didn't study… again," Mrs. Johnson startled Rodrick back to reality, handing him last week's test.

"Shit," he mumbled to himself as he looked through the stapled papers his teacher handed him. The pages were covered in red markings and on the front of the test was a huge D-.

RIIIIIIIIIING!

"Class dismissed," called Mrs. Johnson from her desk, "Rodrick, please stay behind for a minute."

"Great," he grunted as he stuffed the test into his black and ripped bag. He walked up to the teacher with his hands in his tight jeans' pockets. "Wassup, teach?" he asked carelessly.

She looked up from her paperwork and gave him a very concerned look. "Rodrick, you're failing and at this rate you won't graduate," she said.

_Fuck_, he thought to himself. "What do you mean I'm failing? It's just one stupid test," he said anxiously.

"It's not just this test," she continued, "it's the two from before and the fact that you haven't handed in a single decent essay this whole year."

_Thanks a lot, dad_, he hissed under his breath.

"What was that?" asked a baffled Mrs. Johnson.

"Nothing!," he answered nervously. Ever since his dad stopped writing his essays, he's been handing in papers actually written by him. He sighed, "Look, what do I need to do to pass this class?," he asked, resting his hands on the desk.

Mrs. Johnson looked at her computer where the class' grades were in display. Then she went through some papers she had on her desk. Rodrick rolled his eyes impatiently as he waited for his teacher to answer.

"I'm sorry," she said after that short pause, "you currently have a solid 63% in my class and there are only a few weeks of school left. I don't see there's any way that you can bring your score up to a 75% in such a short amount of time."

"No, come on, there must be something," Rodrick asked desperately, his eyes wide with alarm. "A project, some sort of extra-credit, anything!"

They were suddenly interrupted by a knock. They both turned their attention to the door, where a girl stood awkwardly, realizing that she walked in a serious discussion.

"Um, Mrs. Johnson," the girl said meekly, "I have next week's article." Rodrick shot her a reprehensive look, she was so not helping.

"Oh, thank you sweetie," said Mrs. Johnson, "leave it here, I'll read it later."

The brunette girl walked up to the desk and as she searched for her article inside the mess that was her messenger bag.

"Just a second," she said as she tussled through all the stuff in her bag to find her work.

Mrs. Johnson, who was paying attention to the girl's struggle, suddenly shifted her attention to Rodrick, who was with his arms crossed, looking down at the intruder. She looked at them both and smiled. "I've got an idea," she said rather enthusiastically.

Both Rodrick and the girl stared curiously at their teacher. "Andrea," she started, "how would you feel about tutoring Mr. Heffley in English?"

"What?" spat Rodrick, obviously not seeing eye-to-eye with his teacher. The girl also seemed tremendously confused.

"Andrea is one of my top students and by far the best writer in this school," said Mrs. Johnson. "She could help you improve your writing." A smile spread across Andrea's face. She knew this to be true, but she'd never admit it out loud.

"Um, I thought you said there was no way for me to pass this class with what little time we have left," he interjected.

"Well, not by yourself, at least," said Mrs. Johnson, "If you put all your effort into passing this class and actually listen to her, you might just get to 75%."

"Excuse me, Mrs. Johnson," interrupted Andrea raising her hand as to be called on.

"Yes, Andrea?" asked the teacher.

"I actually have a lot going on right now with the school paper and-" Andrea started to make up some excuse to get out of tutoring but Mrs. Johnson quickly interposed.

"I'll exempt you from the English final," she said smiling at her star pupil.

Andrea had great English grades, but being in the Advanced Course meant that she couldn't be excused from her final. And considering how she'd rather not have to study for yet another final, this was actually a great deal.

"So, do we have a deal?" asked Mrs. Johnson, shifting her eyes between both students.

They both seemed uncertain still. Rodrick really had to pass this class. Andrea just really didn't want to take that stupid final. Rodrick looked over to Andrea and she looked back at him. A mutual sense of agreement was shared between the two. They slightly nodded, still staring at each other.

"Fine," the both said in unison, looking back at Mrs. Johnson.

"Splendind!" she exclaimed as she stood up from her chair. "Now, run along before you're even later for your next class." They'd been so caught up with the conversation that they forgot the bell had rung a few minutes ago.

"Bye!" waved Andrea as she ran out of the classroom to her next class.

"Later, Mrs. J," said Rodrick as he unhurriedly walked out of the room.

A smirk spread across his face. _No more English work for me_, he thought, convinced that he'd get that girl Andrea to do all his work for him.

**A/N: Hey, this is my first fanfic for Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I love Rodrick/Devon so I just had to make one about him. This first chapter's a little slow, I know, but I had to get the ball rolling. Let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Let the Games Begin**

Rodrick reached his Calculus class a few seconds after the last late bell. His teacher ignored his entrance and continued working on some complex problem on the whiteboard. Before he headed to the back of the room, where he usually sat in every class, he noticed the girl from earlier. _And let the games begin, _he thought as he walked over to where she was sitting_._ He slumped into the seat behind her and dropped his bag loudly. Since this was really the only class he and his friends weren't taking together, he thought he'd use the time to work his 'magic' on her.

He crossed his arms on his desk and leaned forward. "Hi, I'm Rodrick," he whispered to her with a sly smile.

"I know," she answered absentmindedly without looking back at him. She was focused on scribbling and doodling in her notebook.

He waited for her to say something else, but she didn't. "That's right, why wouldn't you know who I am?" continued with conceit as he reclined back on his chair and placed his hands behind his head.

"Yep," she continued ignoring him.

Rodrick began to wonder why she wasn't paying attention to him. This was definitely not the norm; he usually had girls on the palm of his hand. How the hell was she not even the least bit interested in talking to him?

"So, you know, I'm in this band and we rock like really hard," again he started whispering to her ear. "You should come see us some time," he added smoothly.

She finally turned around to face him. "Yeah, I know," she said to him. "I wrote an article about your band a couple of months ago for the school paper," she continued pleasantly.

"Really?" asked Rodrick with a low voice in an attempt to seem seductive.

"Mhm," she said leaning in closer, until their faces were just a few inches apart. Suddenly, Rodrick felt nervous as he looked into this girl's deep, brown eyes. "I believe the headline was something like "Crappy School Bands"," she finished with a smirk and turned back to face the front of the room, leaving the boy completely dumbstruck.

_Whoa, what was THAT? Get yourself together, dude!_ Rodrick swallowed hard and composed himself after a second or two. "Well, that wasn't nice," he said just loud enough for Andrea to hear.

"Oh, and we've been in the same Math class for the past 4 years," she continued over her shoulder, ignoring his comment. "That's how I know who you are, genius." And with that, she resumed her monotonous sketching.

_Nice going, butt-brain_, he cursed himself. He decided to just go about his own business for the remainder of the class; he didn't want to further embarrass himself or piss her off even more… not that he cared what she thought, or anything. So, he just stuck his ear-buds in and let his mind drift away with the sweet sound of rock and roll.

He was completely lost in his own world; he only noticed that the period had ended when he felt everyone around him quickly get their stuff and begin to leave for their next class. Andrea threw her notebook in her bag and picked up a few sheets of paper she had lying around on her desk. _Probably just some stupid articles or something_, Rodrick assumed peering over at her as he grabbed his almost empty backpack.

"Sooo..," he began while rubbing the back of his head, "how are we going to do this whole tutoring thing?"

"Well," she began, turning to him while she struggled with her bag and the handful of papers. "Let's meet up at your place after school."

"Uuhh, yeaah, here's the thing," he said, "we can't really get together at my house."

"And why not?" she asked raising an eyebrow at him.

"Just because," he said curtly. The last thing he needed was his parents to know he was failing yet another class.

She looked up at him quizzically for a few seconds, as if trying to figure him out. Her eyes were sternly watching his. Amused by her intense stare, Rodrick winked at her, breaking her fixation on him. "Fine," she scoffed almost immediately, "we'll go to my house."

"Awesome," he said with smug grin, "I'll drive," he dangled his car-keys in front of Andrea's face.

"Whatever," she dismissed his remark and pushed pass him to the back door. He just chuckled and followed her right out.

_This should be fun_, he mused to himself.

The rest of the day passed rather quickly and uneventfully. As soon as the last bell rung, Andrea left for the parking lot to look for Rodrick, who was already in his van and in front of the school entrance. Andrea stared at the white vehicle with the words "Loded Diaper" written in black on the side. "Seriously?" she said to herself. _He misspelled 'loaded'? Damn, I have a lot of work to do with this one. _

HONK, HONK!

"Get in!" yelled Rodrick through the passenger window.

Andrea hurried down the steps and got in the van.

"UGH!" she shouted in disgust while pinching her nose, "What is that smell? Did something die in here?"

"Yeah, you'll get use to it," he answered nonchalantly as he abruptly drove off. "In the mean time, try breathing through your mouth."

She shot him a disbelieving look which he completely ignored. He just started to play around with his stereo until he got his favorite CD playing. Heavy metal music blared from the speakers as Rodrick turned like a maniac from the school's street.

"Where do you live?" he shouted over his obnoxiously loud music.

"WHAT?" Andrea screamed back while holding on to her seatbelt like her life depended on it (which it probably did).

"WHERE DO YOU LIVE?" Rodrick shouted even louder. She rolled her eyes and turned off the music. "Wait, what ar-," he started to complain but was cut off by her.

"56 Maple Street," she said in a normal voice while looking his way.

He gave her a blank stare, but she just smiled a huge grin back at him. _Who the hell does this bitch think she is?_ He stumbled over his words, deciding whether or not to kick her out of the van right that second, "Sh-, N-, AGHH! Fine!" He let out an exasperated sigh and continued driving.

"Thank you," she said with fake sweetness and batting her eyelashes at him.

He shot her a quick glare. _Stupid pretty brown eyes._ _You don't know who you're messing with. _ "Whatever, we're here anyways," he responded as he drove up to her house.

They both climbed out of the van and walked to the front entrance of Andrea's simple yet welcoming house. She fumbled with her bag, searching for her house keys.

"Need help?" he asked indifferently.

"Yeah, if you could just hold these while I-" she began as she mechanically reached out to hand him the two books she was holding.

"Oh, no, I was just asking." Rodrick said staring unconcernedly at the two blocks she was holding out to him.

She shot him an incredulous stare. He just stood there with a devilish smirk and winked again. _Could this guy be any more immature?_

"Ugh, whatever, you moron." she said as she finally got a hold of her keys. "AHA!" she shouted victoriously, maneuvering the right key into the door's lock. Rodrick followed close behind as she led the way into the house.

As she turned back to lock the door, Rodrick went around and cornered her against the entrance door. She turned around only to find his face only inches from hers. Her cheeks quickly turned crimson and she let out a small surprised gasp. She wanted to push him away, to slap him, or something, but she couldn't move. A pleased smirk spread across Rodrick's face as he pressed his right hand against the door, leaning in closer. "What's wrong, princess?" he mocked her, his feline eyes still intensely staring into her dark orbs. "Cat got your tongue?" he whispered in a husky voice into her ear.

Andrea's mouth fell agape, his breath still tickling her earlobe. _What the hell, what the hell, what the hell? Snap out of it!, _she mentally screamed at herself_. _

The panic in her eyes and the shaking of her plump lips scrambling for words widened his grin. _Gotcha._

"Andrea, is that you?" called a deep, male voice from the kitchen.

"Y-yeah, dad," Andrea managed to answer back, still imprisoned between the wooden door and Rodrick.

_**A/N: If you like, please review! More reviews = faster chapters (:**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Well, That Was Awkward**

"D-dad?", Rodrick stammered, alarm replacing the previous coolness in his eyes.

Before he could blink, Andrea had already recovered from her momentarily paralysis and quickly shoved him away from her. By the time Andrea's father appeared, the two teenagers were standing 5 feet apart with distressed expressions on their faces. _That was close_, Rodrick thought as he turned around to face the unexpected host. But when his eyes searched for another set at his eyelevel, he was surprised to not find any. Rodrick then lowered his gaze and saw a man in a wheelchair.

"Hi, daddy," said Andrea, still a bit shaky. She hastily walked over to her father, who was now staring at Rodrick's befuddled expression, and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Who's this?" asked Andrea's father, disregarding the young man's impolite reaction. His dark brown eyes were warm yet weary.

"This is Rodrick," started Andrea, staring back at her classmate, who gave an awkward smile. "I'm helping him out with some schoolwork."

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, young man," said Andrea's father with a warm smile, reaching out his hand to shake Rodrick's.

"Nice to meet you too, sir," the teenager quickly returned the greeting, shaking Mr. Rodriguez's hand. He looked at Andrea, who was standing next to her father's chair. She shot him a half-smile for reassurance.

"Well, Andrea, I was just about to start working on dinner. Will Rodrick be joining us?" asked Mr. Rodriguez from down below. _Uh, I don't think so_, she thought.

"Sadly, I can't," replied Rodrick before she could. "I have to be home by 5:30." _No way am I missing band practice._

"Yeah," promptly added Andrea. "Besides, we have a LOT of work to do so we should really get started," she said walking over next to Rodrick, who shot her a foul glance for the unnecessary emphasis.

"Oh, well, maybe some other time. It was a pleasure meeting you, Rodrick," said Andrea's father. "I'll call you when dinner's ready, then," he said to his daughter and made his way back to the kitchen.

"Okay, thanks," she called back to him as she started down the hall to her room. She glanced back only to see a baffled Rodrick still standing in the foyer. She rolled her eyes, "Are you coming or not?"

"To where? Your room?" he asked doubtfully. "I mean, won't your dad like mind or something?" Under any other circumstances, he would have been totally cool about hanging in a girl's room; in fact, he'd probably be the first to suggest it. But her dad being in the house made everything a bit weird, he thought.

"Please, don't get your hopes up," she smirked. "Now, hurry up! We have to cover 10 years of English grammar in like 2 hours."

Rodrick snorted at her last remark but quickly followed her. Her room seemed pretty standard, perhaps a little too girly for his taste. He made his way in and started inspecting it more closely. Her desk was chaotic; notebooks and binders overflowing with papers towered around her sticky-note covered laptop. _She's such a mess,_ he thought amusedly. Then he turned his attention to the wall besides her bed. It was completely covered with pictures, photographs, doodles, quotes, and everything else in between.

"Whoa," said Rodrick, taken aback by the mosaic wall. He went to look at all the different things she had stuck on it.

"Yeah, that's what happens when you have too much free time on your hands," she smiled from the door, where she had just hung her school bag.

He looked back to where she was; for a second he had forgotten that she was there. He quickly cleared he throat, "It's ok, I mean, if you're into the whole artsy stuff," he tried to seem unimpressed.

Andrea just rolled her eyes and made her way to her cerulean bed, where she sat in an Indian-like position. "Anyway, we have a lot to cover so come on," she said patting on the bed.

"Whatever." Rodrick walked around and plopped on the edge of the bed, in front of her. "So, how's about we just skip to the part where you give up and do all my work for me?", he said resting back on his elbows.

"Uh, yeah, I don't think so," answered Andrea incredulously. "You'll actually have to learn something and do your work if you want to pass this class."

"Oh, trust me, honey," he chuckled. "In less than a week you'll figure out that doing my work is in both our best interests," he finished with a smirk.

"Don't worry, in less than a week I'll have you writing complete sentences AND doing your homework all by yourself," she said slyly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"We'll see…" he finished a little too confidently, his dark eyes locked on hers. Andrea didn't know why staring into his eyes made her so uneasy; she decided to get her notes before she could start over-analyzing it.

"Now, stop slacking and take out your English notebook," she said nudging his shoulder as she got off the bed.

A small smile still played on his flushed lips. "Yes, ma'am," he said rolling over to get his backpack.

Andrea sat back down with a fuchsia-colored binder. "So, what are you guys currently covering in class?" she asked simply.

Rodrick gave her a disbelieving look. "Seriously? You're actually asking me?"

"Ah, right," she sighed, "why on Earth would you know," she rolled her eyes. She was honestly starting to believe it was going to become a new habit of hers with Rodrick around all the time. "What was the last thing you wrote on your notebook, then?"

Rodrick flipped through his neglected and torn English notebook and held it up for Andrea to see: nothing but doodles and scribbles of random song lyrics. He gave her a wide grin.

"Oh, God," she complained, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples with her fingers. _He's going to make this impossible for me._

"What's wrong?" he asked mockingly.

She glared at him, but he just laughed. "Fine, we'll do this my way," she quickly said.

"Hm, see, I don't work like that," he said lying down on the bed with his arms behind his head.

"Well, obviously, however it is you 'work' isn't really working," she said rather harshly, "otherwise, you wouldn't need my help."

Instead of sending some other rude remark her way, Rodrick simply stared at her. He knew she was right. He knew he had to pass English and he knew she was the only one who could help him. He knew that if he played his cards wrong, he'd be the one to get the short-ended stick.

"You're right," he finally said.

Andrea was surprised at his reply_. What? No insult? No attempt at getting out of studying?_. "Em, well, ok then," she awkwardly started; she didn't know how to react to Rodrick's uncharacteristic response.

"If it helps," he began, reaching inside his bag, "Mrs. J handed us these back today." He gave Andrea the test he had gotten back earlier that day.

She eyed the red markings and the big D in the middle of the page. _Damn_. She looked back at him; his eyes were staring firmly at the paper in her hands. Rodrick looked both frustrated and a bit embarrassed. Nobody likes failing, but he clearly didn't know how _not_ to fail.

"Thank you," she said softly, trying to make eye contact with him. "This definitely helps."

He stared back at her. "No problem" he answered with a smirk.

She gave him a small smile in return. His eyes were doing that thing again that made her feel all edgy. She couldn't understand how the hell he did that. And what baffled her the most was that she didn't completely mind it. _Focus!_

"_Ahem_," she cleared her throat, "how about if we start by reviewing the answers you got wrong?"

"It's your call, teach," replied Rodrick a tad smugly. _Ok, he's back_, thought a somewhat relieved Andrea.

**FINALLY! CHAPTER 3! Sorry to keep you waiting, my lovelies. My intentions were to update before I left for Guatemala three weeks ago, yet I failed. Oh well, I promise to update more regularly now that I'm back in the US. Also, any ideas for the story are welcomed; I might consider some for future chapters. Please Review! **

**Love 3**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: The Rodriguez Family **

After two hours of intense work – well, mostly from Andrea's part – they decided to call it a day. Rodrick began to gather all his stuff hurriedly; he was running late for band practice.

"So, tomorrow at your place?" asked Andrea leaning against the door's frame.

Rodrick stopped and stared at her. "Uh, what happened to 'same time, same _place_'?"

"I never said that," she shrugged.

"Well, whoever did was really on to something, don't you think?" he smirked as he walked up to her.

"Maybe it worked for him but it's not really going to work for me," she answered a tad annoyed, crossing her arms.

Rodrick took a step closer, his body now towering over hers. Andrea had never felt short before; she was pretty content with her five-foot-four stature, but beneath Rodrick's six-foot-two frame she felt very small. "That's too bad," he said in a low voice.

"Why can't we meet at your house?" she continued calmly, completely hiding the fact that Rodrick did in fact intimidate her a bit.

"Why can't we meet here?" he quickly retorted, staring into her eyes. He raised an eyebrow, further pressing for Andrea's answer.

Andrea looked away. "Just because."

Rodrick chuckled a bit, recognizing her words as his own from earlier that day. "Listen, my house is not an option," he started.

"Fine, then we'll meet at the library," she answered curtly and jolted out of the room. Rodrick stayed behind, a little shocked by her brash reaction, and just watched her walk away. _The fuck?_

"Don't you have to get going?" Andrea called to him from the foyer.

_Shit! I'm late!_ He recovered and rapidly made his way down the hall to the house's entrance. She had already unlocked the door and was holding it wide open; Rodrick got the message: she wanted him out.

"So, see you tomorrow?" he asked doubtfully as he walked out to the porch.

"Yes. At the library," she answered, still not looking at him.

"Um, ok then," he replied awkwardly. "Later," he waved and with that he turned around and speeded to his beat-up van.

Andrea watched him drive off then closed the door. She let out a heavy sigh and made her way to the kitchen.

"Hey dad," she said as she took a seat on the kitchen counter.

"Oh, hi," answered Mr. Rodriguez as he removed the nearly-burnt lasagna from the oven. It was quite interesting seeing him maneuver his way around the kitchen; he had really gotten better since he first started cooking.

"Mm, smells delish," complimented Andrea after taking a whiff of her dad's signature dish. A huge smile spread across his dark face, and Andrea couldn't help but smile, too. She knew her dad really put a lot of effort into his cooking and, even though they were just average meals, she always made sure to make him feel like he did a superb job.

"You're just in time," said her dad. "Help me set the table, will you?" he continued steering around the medium-sized kitchen, grabbing different condiments and sprinkling them over his culinary creations.

Andrea grabbed two sets of silverware and two plates and set them on the small table. Then she poured two glasses of sparkling water and set them next to each plate, respectively. Her father brought the lasagna to the table, along with some cooked vegetables, and set his chair directly across from where Andrea was sitting. They both mumbled a quick prayer and began eating.

Dinner was usually quiet; sometimes Andrea's dad would ask her about school, sometimes she'd ask him about work. But the conversations usually didn't evolve too much. They sometimes shared a few jokes to lighten the mood but the silence was usually louder. Yet, in all honesty, the quiet didn't bother either of them; they were comfortable just in each other's presence. Words, as they had learned, can be superfluous, sometimes even hollow.

After they finished, Andrea cleared the table and started to wash the dishes. "Tomorrow's Tuesday," stated her dad as he handed her a couple of knives she had missed while cleaning up.

"I know," she answered nonchalantly, still focused on scrapping the cheese off her plate.

"She'd really like to see you this time, darling," continued Mr. Rodriguez.

"That's too bad, really," Andrea replied undisturbed.

He stared at his daughter with hopelessness; she was so stubborn, but he couldn't blame her for not wanting to see _her_. Every week they had this same conversation; every week, same outcome.

"Honey," began Mr. Rodriguez in another futile attempt to change his offspring's mind, "you'll have to face her sometime."

Andrea dropped the plate she was rinsing and turned to face her dad. She stared at him with narrowed eyes, aversion apparent in her facial expression. "Says who?" she questioned with an outraged tone, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Andrea, she's your mother," continued her dad as calmly as he could.

"I'm not related to that woman," she replied icily.

He sighed heavily and ran his hands over his face to regain composure. "_Corazón_, we don't want to go to court again," he said softly.

Andrea let her arms fall to her sides and stared at her parent. This obviously wasn't easy for him either; in fact, this was probably harder on him than on her. She bent down so she was at eye-level with him and looked into his tired and sad eyes. Without words he pleaded her to make this work; he begged her not to complicate things even further; he implored her to stick to the deal. "Fine," she whispered and kissed her father on the cheek.

He gave her a small smile. "Thank you."

"But it'll only be for a few minutes!" she quickly added.

"Sure, whatever you say!" her father laughed half-heartedly. Andrea smiled at him and went back to the sink to continue her nightly duty.

"Goodnight, darling," he said as he left the kitchen for his home office.

"'Night!" she called back at him as she watched the light of his work space turn on. _That man never takes a break_…

- Next Day -

HONK! HONK!

Rodrick's van startled everyone within a 20-feet radar. Andrea quickly climbed in, ignoring the rude stares of those unlucky enough to have been standing right next to the dirty vehicle when it honked.

"Took you long enough!" complained Rodrick as he drove off. "I've been waiting for like ten minutes. Next time, you're walking."

"Ugh, whatever!" replied Andrea, rolling her eyes at him. "Can you please just get me to my house in one piece, thank you very much?"

Rodrick stared at her quizzically. "I thought we were going to the library today."

"We are," answered Andrea staring out the passenger window, "this is just a small detour."

"Whatever," Rodrick replied turning to Maple Street. He decided that Andrea was PMS-ing and that it was best to just go along with what she asked._ Pft, stupid girl hormones._

As they drove up to her house, Rodrick noticed a black BMW parked on the driveway. "Whoa, nice!" he said excitedly. "Where have you been hiding that killer set of wheels?"

Andrea rolled her eyes at him, again. _He's _s_uch a guy_. "It's not mine," she said as she got out of the van.

"Then what's it doing here?" he asked confused.

"About to leave," she replied briefly and closed the door. Rodrick watched as she made her way to the front door of her house. He began to realize that something was off.

She knocked on the door and immediately a tall, slim woman in business attire opened it. Andrea shoved pass her and the woman swiftly closed the door again.

_What the hell? Ok, that was weird…_

**Hey, sorry this chapter is a little shorter and that it lacks some Rodrick/Andrea fluff. I wanted to explore her character a bit. I really do have some cool stuff planned for this story; it has nice conflicts and plot twists hehe And I promise that next chapter will be longer and have more pairing cuteness.**

**Thanks for the reviews, btw! They really do help keep me motivated! :)  
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**PLEASE REVIEW! Thanks lovelies :) **


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